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Monthly Archives: October 2009
Nine Reasons a Banjo Teacher Should go to NashCamp
When I was at NashCamp two weeks ago, I didn’t hear anyone else mention that they were a banjo teacher. I’m sure several of the people there besides the faculty taught at various levels, but I got to thinking how … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos and Society, Banjos in General, Venues
Tagged Banjo, Bluegrass, Friends, Good Advice, Jamming, NashCamp, Networking, New Techniques, No Man is an Island, Recharge, Resource, Skills, Teachers
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Seven Facts About Inspiration
1 – Teachers should provide it for students. Some of it, at least. And remember too, the old saying about leading horses to water; it certainly applies here. We get inspiration from many different sources and our instructor should be … Continue reading
Posted in Music in General, Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Failure, Inspiration, Persistence, Santana, songwriting, Success, Tower of Power, Visualize
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Day Three of NashCamp
Day three of the NashCamp Fall Banjo Retreat is the last day, so Sunday had a bit of a different feeling to it – like we must do whatever we planned to do today or wait until next year. Getting … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos in General, Venues
Tagged Banjo Retreat, Bill Evans, Bluegrass, Grounspeed, NashCamp, Ned Luberecki, October, Rocky Top, Sonny Osborne
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Music: A Cure for Modern Day Complexity
Go check your email. Can’t do it? Maybe the SMTP server is down. Call ’em up and find out. Search for their number and find it if you’re lucky. Go through the voicemail maze and finally leave a message in … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos and Society, Music in General, Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Complexity, Cure, Information Technology, Music, Refreshing
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Five Lessons, Yea Six, from NashCamp
Here are a few items I learned this weekend at NashCamp. Some for me, others for my students. 1) Lighten up. No, not in terms of relationships; here, I mean lightening up with my right hand. I pick pretty hard … Continue reading
Posted in Tips & Techniques, Venues
Tagged 3rd, 6th, Alan Munde, Banjos, Bill Emerson, Bill Evans, Capos, NashCamp, Ned Luberecki, Right Hand, Singing, Tom Adams
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Day Two of NashCamp
Saturday was the second day of my first time at NashCamp, just southwest of Nashville, TN near the small town of Fairview. I got up and headed for the dining hall, where almost all of the activities took place. Still … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos in General, Venues
Tagged 3rds, 6ths, Banjo Classes, Fairview TN, Fiddle Tunes, NashCamp, Right Hand
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The Company Band
I suppose such things happen often enough. A bunch of folks at work find they have a little (very little? 🙂 common musical ground and so does the department administrator, who puts them all together in front of everyone to … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos & Bluegrass, Venues
Tagged Band, Common Ground, Company, Entertain, Luncheon
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Just a Little More
You know, I suspect EVERY banjo / mandolin, etc. player deep down inside wishes he had started ‘just a few years earlier’! Like the anecdote you hear about when someone asked Warren Buffet (second richest guy in the world, behind … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Distraction, Just a Few Years Earlier, Practice, Priorities, Professional, Wasted Time
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Day One of NashCamp
Well, I made it here to NashCamp! I’m sitting in the Dining hall, listening to the cacophony of twangs – barely a guitar or mandolin in sight. Needless to say, it’s rather loud. I see one reason why only banjo … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos in General, Venues
Tagged Alan Munde, Banjo, Bill Emerson, Bill Evans, NashCamp, Ned Luberecki, Sonny Osborne, Tony Adams
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